Dealer dropped my C5 off lift -- need advice

[78SilvAnniv]

Thanks, Heidi...
The dealer who was working on my '97 was Stewart Automotive Group in Colma, CA, near South San Francisco.
- Dave

Ah. The versions of Northern California are different for everyone.
I grew up 1 hour East of you in Tracy and Kenny grew up in waaay Northern California; Redding, so he may be unfamiliar with the dealership you mentioned. I'll bring it up to him and see if he recalls any gossip, but he probably doesn't know them.
Good luck and keep us posted as to the outcome.
Heidi

 

[TheBlueVette]

Post some pictures on the various Corvette websites along with the story of what happened.

Its amazing no one got hurt.

Got some pictures

 

[67HEAVEN]

:eek Damn!

 

[TheBlueVette]

A while back some guy bought a evo from a mitts dealer, but they refused to give it to him because they "sold it at a higher price" and "forgot to end the auction" not the same thing but after they :
1 made tshirts that made the dealer look really bad
2 had local radio stations talking about it
3 spread the negative word about the dealership across hundreds of forums
4 got TV stations notified
5 stood out from telling everyone what happened

Sooner or later that man recieved an Evo, for the price he won the auction. And the dealer probably still has a lower profit to this date.

Moral: If they wont give you what you want (you should want one of compariable value or new) then ruin their reputation. At some point they will do their best to salavge their reputation and that would invlove giving you a new ride.


Sorry this happened, it sucks! (we definately need some pictures)

I
can make pamphlets with color photos to pass out in front..

 

[Mart]

Oh Man, thats bad, does the passenger side look like the drivers.

Oh S--- it does look like the drivers side, I would not even take that car back.

The whole front may be bent.

 

[Last Ride]

Man, that totally sucks! i remember reading about the "Evo Endeavor", and I can remember thinking I wish more people stood up for themselves like that! Did you buy your car new? I would say they should definitely be replacing this car with another one. Want a C5? C6? Whichever you want, they should supply, similarly optioned to the car they destroyed. I am with others saying that little damage would probably keep popping up as time goes on. Not to mention the "major accident" red flags that can destroy resell value. And why in the hell would you want to have a car rebuilt at a place that did THIS MUCH DAMAGE to it when changing the freaking oil! Next thing you'll find out is that when they moved it to the body shop, the motor siezed because they were draining the oil and forgot to put any back in! This is just nuts....

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

Ouch!

These $@bs are trying to cover up their screw up. Get your Insurance man in there ASAP. It looks like the car hit the floor so hard that it drove the front wheels through the top of the wheel wells and fenders. That means that the cross member, oil pan and who knows what else took the same impact. I can not see how a ¨lift failure¨ would end up like this. Also if it was a ¨lift failure¨ the dealership would be happy to replace your car since the Mfg. of the lift will have to pay in the end.

Go past the dealership and get the GM regional office involved. Do you owe any money on the car? If so get the lender involved. This works even better if the lender is GMAC.

If you end up with a lawyer it will be the punitive damages not the value of the car that he is interested in. If the punitive damages are $100K your lawyer earned his 40%. I ended up with a much larger settlement than that from a ship yard that tried to hide a bad repair job to the keel of one of my boats. (Keel fell off and the boat sank)

They were describing it as a defective lift, and were going to get the lift manufacture to come in and inspect all their lifts.

On top of all of the other good ideas here call the government agency that is responsible for Work Place Safety, (OSHA?) and tell them the story of the dealership ¨forcing¨ employs to work underneath cars supported by ¨known to be unsafe¨ lifts. If they suspect a lift failure and allow any lift to be used before the ¨proper¨ authority inspects and approves it then they have committed a Criminal Act.

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Oh No!

No way, I feel sick to my stomach hearing about your Vette falling off the hoist.
The photo's also make me go into shock. :cry

In the last photo, is that a hairline crack in the chassis?

How did you keep your cool, I would have been opening a can of whoop-ass! ad

Just goes to show, you should stick around and watch them service your cars. I have a Holden Commodore here in Australia and have always been in the dealership looking directly into the workshop, watching the mechanics do their work. I caught an apprentice mechanic spinning the wheels in my car and asked him if he paid the payments. He said no and I said to pull his head in and drive my car with a bit of respect. This was a privilage I enjoyed not the mechanic!

Man, I would be seeking instruction from your insurance company. Make them 'go into bat for you' and sort this dealership out.
Boneheads, can't they get anything right?



Tony

 

[Edmond]

It would be hard for me to believe that the only damage done was cosmetic. Has the dealership given you a hint that they're going to fight this thing? Are they giving you a hard time about it?

 

[theblackvette]

I am so sorry to hear about this. This is not funny and I was too stunned to even laugh.

They killed your car. Remember Ferris Beuhler's Day Off? The car is killed.

They need to put you in a new car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep up informed. Thanks.

 

[TheBlueVette]

It would be hard for me to believe that the only damage done was cosmetic. Has the dealership given you a hint that they're going to fight this thing? Are they giving you a hard time about it?

Edmond -

The thing that has me worried about their doing right is that the loaner they offered was a 2002 Chevy Malibu. They said it was only car they had available at the time (late Friday before the 3-day weekend). I drove it home, and realized that there was no way I could drive this car for 3 weeks, while my C5 was getting fixed. I went back the next morning, and told them the Malibu
was a piece of s____, and I wanted a decent ride. They also said they did't have any other cars, and their insurance wouldn't let them loan me one of the C5s off the lot.I pointed out that when I was buying a Corvette from them, they said I could take one home for the weekend -- so what was the difference? The assistant manager said he would check with the general manager, and get back to me later that day. In the meantime, he got a Buick Regal for me -- at least I can sit in it without puking, even though it's not a C5. The general manager never did call me back, but had the assistant manager call Sunday night and say they had no cars to loan me. Right then, I knew that these guys would not go out of their way to make this right.

 

[pvtpilot]

Glenn -

One of the lift arms wasn't locked, and it slipped off. It looks like the well wheels caught on the extenders somehow - the front panels are falling off in chunks. I should have taken my clue when I brought my car in for new run-flats. They couldn't find the lug key (it was in the standard storage space for it), so they sawed the lugs off.

This is really a sad story. It's exactly why I have so much trouble taking my car(s) to any service facility. I can see now how the car could have fallen off if one of the extended lift arms failed completely. I can see the car tipping to the front corner and sliding off the remaining arms. I can't help but also think that your car may be a total, and I may push for that settlement. The reason I think total, is because I have seen several C5 cars over the last several years with what I thought was minor cosmetic damage that were totaled by the insurance companies. I guess at todays costs for repair parts, paint, and labor and after you start peeling the skin off and see what else is damaged underneath, the cost to repair gets prohibitive in a hurry. One other thing, if you do get into a total settlement discussion with the insurance company (hopefully the one that is representing the dealer or lift manufacturer) do not take their offer. Put together your replacement value based on top retail value for your car plus any optional equipment and/or new parts (example tires) that you have installed within the last two years. You can also get an independent appraisal of the condition and I expect if you are like most Vette owners, the car was in excellent condition. Best of luck, Glenn D.

 

[theblackvette]

You must at least give the dealer a chance to make things right!

You clearly are doing so. And you are being very patient! You should be commended on this.

HOWEVER!!!!!!!!! The assistant manager said the general manager was going to call you back on that same day. You received no phone call. It is possible that the general manager may have been unavailable that day and could not call you. What is unacceptable is that the assistant manager did not call you back to let you know that the general manager was unavailable (assuming he or she was unavailable).

I really think their time is running out and you should begin making demands for answers. They may think that you are just a pushover and will listen to what they want to do. Make it clear that you cannot be controlled.

One person made a great suggestion about getting an insurance person to look at the car. Bring this person there immediately!!!!! I cannot stress this even more! Also, take as many pictures as possible. Different angles. Pictures of the whole car, etc. If they see you taking these pictures along with a visit with the insurance agent (be sure to introduce the insurance agent to the dealership) they will now know that they cannot screw around with you anymore!

Good luck!

Edmond -

The thing that has me worried about their doing right is that the loaner they offered was a 2002 Chevy Malibu. They said it was only car they had available at the time (late Friday before the 3-day weekend). I drove it home, and realized that there was no way I could drive this car for 3 weeks, while my C5 was getting fixed. I went back the next morning, and told them the Malibu
was a piece of s____, and I wanted a decent ride. They also said they did't have any other cars, and their insurance wouldn't let them loan me one of the C5s off the lot.I pointed out that when I was buying a Corvette from them, they said I could take one home for the weekend -- so what was the difference? The assistant manager said he would check with the general manager, and get back to me later that day. In the meantime, he got a Buick Regal for me -- at least I can sit in it without puking, even though it's not a C5. The general manager never did call me back, but had the assistant manager call Sunday night and say they had no cars to loan me. Right then, I knew that these guys would not go out of their way to make this right.

 

[TheBlueVette]

They killed your car. Remember Ferris Beuhler's Day Off? The car is killed.

They need to put you in a new car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep us informed. Thanks.

They killed my car. I found the Chevy Customer Relationship people at Chevrolet corporate, and told them about this. To me, it sounds like they wash their hands of it:

Thank you for contacting the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center. We sincerely apologize for the concerns you’ve shared with us regarding the handling of your Corvette at Stewart Automotive. When one of our customers has an unpleasant experience with a Chevrolet Dealer, it is of great concern to us. We have carefully reviewed the circumstances involved in the issue between you and your dealer. Liability disputes between dealers and customers must be resolved by the two parties involved. General Motor’s dealerships are independent businesses, and as such, are responsible for the day-to-day operations of their business.

We have notified your dealership of your concerns and are confident that a mutually agreeable resolution can be reached. If you have any further questions, please contact us again and refer to your request number, 1-222298842.

If you should need to contact us in the future, simply reply to this message or call our Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-222-1020. Customer Relationship Managers are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Again, thank you for contacting Chevrolet.

Sincerely,
Damien Crumbley
Customer Relationship Manager
Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center

 

[theblackvette]

Canned vanilla response!

Don't trust these people! They general manager never called you back!
They tell you they do not have a decent loaner to give you!
And you get a response like this!!!!!!

Have you contacted your insurance agent yet? If not, it is time to do so! Your insurance agent WILL help you!

They killed my car. I found the Chevy Customer Relationship people at Chevrolet corporate, and told them about this. To me, it sounds like they wash their hands of it:

 

[theblackvette]

Laughing Out Loud!!!!!!

Ah-I see you answered my questions here!!!!! Missed this one!

This response is a Laugh Out Louder!!!!! They don't want you to contact YOUR insurance company because they are concerned about YOUR rates?????? Give me a gd break!!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am glad you contacted your insurance agent. And yes, why the heck would they take the car to a collision shop before you arrived at there? That does not make a bit of sense to me.

Everyone's advice here seems to be up to standards. Do not take possession of this car. Contact your insurance agent, etc etc etc.......

The only person you should let handle this at this time is your insurance agent!

Gosh-I really can't believe that they gave you an '02 Malibu at first! Keep us posted!

The real red flag for me was when Roy, the shop manager, said not to call my insurance company. The dealership would take care of the whole thing, and if I called my insurance it would list an accident on the vehicle history, and my rates would go up. If they took care of it, the record would be clean. I called my insurance company (CSAA).

-Dave

 

[wx briefer]

If you were the dealer, how would you like to have to break the drivetrain down into its individual parts to inspect for sheared bolts, bent mating surfaces, and twisted beams? I would think this a reasonable request to the dealer.

Have an attorney address this issue, since any reasonable person would expect possible damage in these areas, as well as several other concerns such as shock and damage to cooling system including connections to heater core (inside the panel), compromised wheel bearings, a-arms twisted, etc.......etc....I think the dealer will quickly warm up to the idea of just paying you the market price for a pristine example. Take the money and apply it to another vehicle.

List it and demand it by letter from an attorney stating your concerns and expectations. After they receive the attorney's letter, THEN go back in for discussion with owner/owners. I think you will find them much more cooperative.

If not, use the other tactics mentioned here. Good Luck.

 

[Edmond]

I think someone should send an e-mail of this thread to GM and the dealership. I think that sending this thread to a couple of your local news papers wouldn't hurt either.

This is such a blatant attempt to cover their mistakes that it's ridiculous.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

...send an e-mail of this thread to GM and the dealership. I think that sending this thread to a couple of your local news papers wouldn't hurt either.
...blatant attempt to cover their mistakes...

While it appears that contacting GM did not bring any results, I think the above suggestion (contacting GM, dealership and media) would certainly get someone's attention.
Still, try to catch the flies with honey before you get out the raid and drop 'em dead. Let's see what the insurance adjuster says...
Heidi

 

[theblackvette]

http://www.stewartcars.com/

Our friend here needs our help!!!!

That was great advice 78SilvAnniv!

I found their website in Colma and I sent them an e-mail telling them about CAC and how concerned I was to see the damage.

Hopefully, a rep will look at this board and perhaps join CAC and tell us they are going to take good care of this guy! Here is the website. There are SEVERAL places you can send the e-mail to. Just click on contact and send your message!

http://www.stewartcars.com/

While it appears that contacting GM did not bring any results, I think the above suggestion (contacting GM, dealership and media) would certainly get someone's attention.
Still, try to catch the flies with honey before you get out the raid and drop 'em dead. Let's see what the insurance adjuster says...
Heidi